Salmon

Crispy, tender, flakey salmon, served on a heaping pile of fresh greens and veggies, topped off with toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta. Pan Seared Salmon Salad is the perfect combination of succulent flavors, summer freshness and heart-healthy fats and protein.I hope you had a great week! It was sure a fun, and busy one around here. The humongous rainstorm that happened Monday afternoon, left our entire area in a state of disaster on Tuesday. Most of the local freeways were shutdown and thousands of basements were flooded. What a mess! We stayed close to home that day, and enjoyed a great playdate with some very sweet friends from out-of-town. In the afternoon, we had another special visit with another wonderful friend that I haven’t seen in over 10 years! Tuesday was a great reminder for me to be thankful for all of the amazing people that are in our lives.

Speaking of blessings, I’m incredibly appreciative for another fantastic weekend with all of my cuties. The Woodward Dream Cruise, Andrew’s work party, and a visit to the park were a few of our highlighted events. Here’s a fun movie and a few pictures 🙂

Now that you’ve taken a look at our weekend, here’s a little background on what first inspired me to make this recipe.

On our recent San Diego Trip 2014, Andrew and I discovered a fabulous little restaurant, Harry’s Bar and American Grill, that was right around the corner from our hotel. We ate there for the first time on our date night. (Thanks to my wonderful Aunt Janie, for coming to our hotel to babysit while Andrew and I enjoyed a quiet, adult dinner out. WHAT A GIFT :)) We enjoyed our meal so much that we even went back later in the week. Call it a pregnancy craving, followed by our latest obsession, but ever since our venture out to the West Coast, salmon salads have been the latest craze in our house.

The picture on the left is the salmon salad at Harry’s, and the one on the right is from Pancho’s Restaurant in Los Angeles. Yum!

Here are a few candid pictures from our Pan Seared Salmon Salad nights at home.

This salad is best with this Creamy Balsamic Dressing.

It’s no wonder that this Pan Seared Salmon Salad has become an all-around crowd pleaser in our family. It’s easy, delicious, and loved by our whole family!

Pan Seared Salmon Salad

Serving Size: Serves 4

Ingredients

Pan Seared Salmon Salad:

4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
Salt
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 heart romain lettuce, torn
8 ounces baby spinach
2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 avocado, sliced thin
1/3 cup red onion, sliced very thin
3/4 cup yellow sweet corn (if frozen, thawed)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Creamy Balsamic Dressing

For Creamy Balsamic Dressing:

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
1/2 medium shallot (sliced)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
3/4 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

To Make Dressing:

Add vinegar, garlic, shallot, mustard, honey, salt, pepper and dill to blender or Vitamix. Blend for about 30-60 seconds on low, then high speed. Reduce speed to medium and slowly drizzle in olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Blend for a few more seconds until fully emulsified. Stop blending when dressing looks thick and creamy. (Be careful not to over mix, or dressing will thin out.)
Cover and refrigerate dressing until ready to use.

To Make Salad:

Divide lettuce and spinach between plates. Then top with tomatoes, avocado, onion, corn, pine nuts, and feta. Set aside.
Pat salmon dry with paper towels, and season both sides with salt. Add 2 teaspoons oil to a large, nonstick skillet or grill pan, over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add salmon and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on one side. Carefully, flip salmon over and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until salmon is crispy on the outside and the interior is cooked through. Let salmon rest in pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then add salmon to plated salads, drizzle with Creamy Balsamic Dressing and serve.

Notes

Dressing will keep covered and refrigerated for one week.

http://elizabethshome.com/pan-seared-salmon-salad/

Mouthwatering salmon filets coated with a thick, tangy balsamic glaze, baked in the oven, and garnished with thinly sliced scallions. This Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon is quick and easy, and comes together in just under 30 minutes. Pair it with your favorite quinoa or brown rice, and a side of veggies, and you’ll have an amazing meal in no time.

While I was shopping at Costco the other day, I bought a gorgeous piece of salmon, and I knew I wanted to do something special with it. (I’ve been trying to get our family to eat more salmon. It has so many wonderful health benefits, and I feel like I need to make it more often.) I was on a role brainstorming a great marinade, sauce or glaze, until I had to take a break from being a chef, and had to resume my mommy duties.

All of a sudden, the dinner hour rolled around, and it dawned on me that I had forgotten all about creating a fabulous marinade for our salmon. I looked in the fridge, and found my very plain, very un-marinated salmon staring up at me. Let’s be honest, while I did put a lot of thought and time into researching how I WAS planning on letting this beautiful salmon soak up a luscious marinade for hours, this was one night where that just wasn’t going to happen. So, on to plan B!

With two starving boys, a hungry husband, and a pregnant mommy who can always eat, I put on my thinking cap. I needed something that I could pull together quickly, that would taste great, (was secretly healthy), and would of course be pleasing to my whole family.

Here’s a little bit about how this Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon was created. The inspiration for my recipe came about after I read this recipe for Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets. When I first came across it, I thought it looked good, but needed some work. I liked parts of the recipe, but didn’t like them all. How did I make it great? I simplified the directions, and tested and retested my recipe and method. I omitted a few ingredients, made a few substitutions, and added a few essential elements. I love how the the soy sauce and ginger help to neutralize the vinegar, but don’t overpower it.

Just a little note about this recipe, this isn’t a super sweet or super salty glaze. When stirring and cooking the sauce, it may look a bit “vinegary”, but I assure you that when brushed on the salmon and baked, the vinegar flavor in the glaze pairs wonderfully with the salmon.

So, it was a small challenge, and a race for time, but the end result was well worth it. We have already made this recipe twice in the last two weeks, and I just made it again last night! The boys devoured it, and Andrew and I were almost licking our plates, (I mean, that would be rude, right?) Instead, we were using our veggies to scrape up every last bit of the yummy glaze.

This quick and easy, Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon can come together in just under 30 minutes. With only a minimal amount of preparation, a few minutes on the stove, and a short time in the oven, you can turn ordinary salmon into an extraordinary culinary experience.

Heart Healthy Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

5 (5-6 ounce) salmon filets
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ginger, fresh grated (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Evenly space out salon fillets on foil.
In a small bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, sherry, honey, and ginger, and whisk together.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and stir. Cook for about 1 minute until slightly soft and fragrant, but not browned. Pour in vinegar mixture and stir together. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until glaze has reduced greatly and is very thick and syrupy. (It should not be runny.)
Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons (use an even amount for each) of glaze onto each filet, and then brush glaze evenly over each piece.
Bake for about 10-14 minutes, or until fish is cooked through, and can easily flake with a fork.
Sprinkle with sliced scallions and enjoy!

http://elizabethshome.com/heart-healthy-balsamic-glazed-salmon/